After Christine’s daughter was taken from her, the nightmare began.
She's Mine comes out in paperback today!
Author of this exceptional novel, that releases today in paperback (August 26th, 2021), A. A. Chaudhuri, is a former City lawyer turned thriller writer, who lives in Surrey with her family.
She was once a highly ranked British junior tennis player, competing in the national championships and was a member of the national squad.
Chaudhuri was born and brought up in Portsmouth, but moved to London for University, and now lives in Surbiton with her husband and two sons.
The synopsis
Christine didn’t really want a child. Her career and almost carefree life meant too much to her; but after giving birth to her daughter, Heidi, she became devoted to her first child – until the unthinkable happened.
More than 20 years later, Christine’s life is a mess. She and her husband, Greg, are still in mourning for their lost child who could be dead or alive, and their other children feel neglected.
Christine is trying to pick up the pieces of her damaged life, but a note arrives that changes her life forever, and the person behind it all has made it their mission to reduce Christine to nothing.
So, what did I think?
Finding the words to praise this outstanding novel was a challenge for me; She’s Mine is not only one of the best thrillers I have ever read, but one of the most incredible novels I have ever read in general.
The book is told from quite a few different perspectives, which allowed me to hear what the characters had to say, which led me to form an opinion on each and every one of them; there is more than two sides to every story within She’s Mine.
Within the first few pages I was hooked. The writing style was simple yet filled with talent, as the pages were doused with the most interesting hatred and denial from almost every character.
Each character was perfect in their own dysfunctional way; Christine (or Chrissy) was a troubled and deeply flawed character. Chaudhuri made it hard for me to like her, which I loved. Having such a dislike for a main character seems to be rare as they usually have some redeemable qualities, but not Chrissy.
The novel flicks from past to present, and we still see the story through the eyes of the characters. This was the perfect way to tell this tale, as reading about what happened changes with each person and time frame.
I adored the pacing and writing of She’s Mine; I cannot praise it highly enough. Every single time I thought I had something figured out, the ‘truth’ slapped me in the face, only to be slapped harder by the real truth shortly after.
The length of this novel was perfect; no section went on for too long, and some chapters were left on cliffhangers until that character spoke again; I was on edge the entire time, and I loved it.
The way this story is told is phenomenal, to say the least. Each chapter is aimed at another character, and it is always clear who that is; there is an ever-present eerie, dark atmosphere shrouding each page, making each revelation all the more shocking.
Each twist and turn was one I never saw coming, and I could not believe that Chaudhuri fooled me so brilliantly; I was shocked in the best way when I reached the end of this novel, and still cannot believe how incredible the ending was.
The reveals of various secrets along the way were outstanding, as told by the characters. I was actually happy to be proved wrong right at the end, as it was one of the most surprising conclusions to any book I have ever read.
Christine’s story of losing her child is one of regret, guilt, denial, secrets and anger, as the genuine hatred between characters was felt with every turn of the page.
Evidentially, She’s Mine is a phenomenal and utterly outstanding novel; if I could rate it any higher, I would. Filled with such intense mystery and a deep, well-thought-out narrative, this book has, without a doubt, raised the bar for any other thriller that comes after it.
Written by Melissa, who you can follow on Twitter @melissajournal
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Tagged in Female Authors